Sending back the spell (sihira)

Traditionally in Bosnia and Herzegovina the spiritual healers, stravarke, bule and hodžas, annul all those psychological and physical problems that can be caused by negative energy (black magic) by writing zapise (notes), hamajlije (amulets), by spirituality (da'ira) or salivanje strahe (melting lead). However, the effects of black magic can be neutralised by certain exorcist rituals that are specific to Bosnian magic. In the ritual all the power of the spiritual healer comes to the forefront, where the healer, without coming into contact with the patient, annuls the negative energy and sends it back to the one who created it by simply using the patients name and surname.

Since the old days in Bosnia there was a rule that when a patient's medical results claim that he is healthy but he still feels ill, that then it is time to visit a spiritual healer. Today the belief in the power of magic is similar to that one of the old days. The only thing that has changed are the names for the occult processes, and instead of the term sihr or black magic, evil eyes the terms negative energy is used, and instead of ograma, nagaza the term astral attack is used, etc. When a spell is cast at someone, then that person changes its behaviour quickly, all of a sudden it loves or hates a certain person, falls ill, divorces or experiences a series of accidents both business or family related.

Stravarka Nisveta B. from Zenica is one of the people who has a lot of experience when it comes to Bosnian magic, its disadvantages and its benefits if it isn't misused. Besides being known for the ritual of salivanje strahe (melting lead) she is very successful in falanje u grah or throwing beans. Her specialty is neutralising black magic and returning it to the sender.

-Black magic can be returned to the sender in a few ways. In my work I use the ritual with chicken egg and lime (Calcium oxide). The ritual is best performed during sunset, between 17h and 22h.

Nisveta places a half of kilo of lime in a metal dish and places an egg in the middle. Before she continues with the more aggressive part of the ritual she finishes her religious washing (ablution) and reads a couple of verses from the Qur'an such as Fatiha, Ikhlas, Falaq, Nass, Jinn, Mohammed and Ya'sin. After reading the mentioned verses, Nisveta blows towards three corners of her room, the fourth corner is left intact to serve as an astral portal through which the negative energy will go back to its sender.

After she has finished with the part consisting of prayers stravarka Nisveta pours a glass of water on the lime then takes a wooden stick which she uses to stir the mixture in a circle, around the egg, the mixture is stirred until the egg bursts because of the heat of the lime. While she stirs the lime Nisveta repeats the exorcist formula:

"Dear Allah, as the egg cooks in the lime so also the enemy of XX (here the name of the patient and his parents needs to be said) cooks in pain and agony. Let the magic be returned to the one who made it and who sent it!"

The moment when the egg bursts, the ritual is finished. The black magic has left the spellbound patient and has returned to the sender.

Sometimes the egg bursts in the first ten minutes of the ritual but more often it happens after half an hour to an hour. The success of the ritual is usually dependent on the person that is performing it. It is necessary to achieve a perfect focus, calmness and complete emersion into the ritual. The ritual is done with God's help and belief that only with His will the evil can be banished. For that reason it is necessary to achieve a mind and body state that resembles the one of an actor. If that is achieved often tears come to one's eyes. In the end it is a reliable sign that the ritual will be successful.

The witch or wizard immediately feel the effects of the ritual on themselves. It is manifested in smaller or bigger reactions depending on the strength of the black magic that they just created. If it's a weaker form of magical effect then the witch will usually have uncontrollable fits of laughter or crying, insomnia, bloated stomach while in the case of stronger spells she can experience serious health issues or even delirium.